The Quick Guide to Reading in Color

Thursday, December 24, 2009

I Wanna Be Your Shoebox

Happy Holidays!

I Wanna Be your Shoebox by Cristina Garcia

Rating:4.5/5

IQ "How do you balance what happens to you against what you make happen? Are they both a kind of destiny? I think about what Saul's been telling me. That life is not just about the hand you're dealt, but what you do with it." pg. 126

I Wanna Be Your Shoebox is quotable, "awesomesauce" (to quote Ah Yuan), funny with heart and pretty great. I only had a few problems with the novel.

Thirteen year old Yumi is Cuban, Japanese and Jewish. Her parents are divorced and although she lives with her mother, she is closest to her father's family. Her father is a piano tuner and dreams of making it big in the punk music world. Her father's father, Saul is Jewish and dying of cancer. He married Hirohito, a woman he met in Japan. Saul and Hirohito lived in Japan for many years and were prosperous there. Yumi asks Saul to tell her his story, so she can learn everything she can from him and about him before he dies (he's 92!). Yumi's world seems to be turning upside when on top of her grandfather dying, her Cuban (with a little Guatemalan mixed in) mother announces that she has a serious boyfriend and they are moving from L.A. to Napa. Oh and to top it all off, her school's orchestra program (Yumi plays the clarinet) is being cut off. It's going to be an eventful, stressful, funny, heartbreaking year.

My main problem with the novel was the slow moving plot. There aren't many twists and the climax is really slow to develop. I was starting to grow impatient, wanting a plan of action for Yumi on how to save her orchestra. Furthermore, some incidents were unresolved, as in we never learned anything else about them. They happened and that was that, no reactions from anyone or further elaboration (for example why did Yumi's parents get divorced?). Another problem was that some characters were flat. With such a leisurely moving plot, the characters should have been well developed. But the personalities of Yumi's Cuban family (including her mother) are not described with much depth and we know almost nothing about Jim, her mother's boyfriend. Yumi herself admits that she's closer to her Japanese-Jewish side, but she wants to learn more about her Cuban side. I would have liked to see her connect more with her Cuban grandparents and her mother's sister.

There was one main surprising twist to the book, and that was the romance. It's not a prevalent part of the book, which I liked, but it's there beneath the surface. A love triangle ensues and the end result took me by surprise, but was quite pleasing. Yumi is a great protagonist, stubborn, independent, loyal, a leader and true to her own heart. She takes charge of saving her school's orchestra, by deciding they should play punk songs. I would love to hear an orchestra playing the Sex Pistols, Bob Marley, the Ramones, the Clash and the Wailers! It was really sweet and I loved seeing Yumi's take charge attitude, she goes toe to toe with her school principal and she will have you cheering her on! She's one of my all-time favorite middle grade protagonists and I would love to see a YA novel about her because I'm sure she would be just as awesome when she's older. I loved the quirkiness of the orchestra, they are funny and thoroughly entertaining.

Saul's story is fascinating, with high points and low points and he teaches Yumi (and the reader) valuable lessons. he is always optimistic, keeps his sense of humor and is unafraid to die. He will have you laughing and he has characteristics that will remind you of your own grandparents. Hirohito also has an interesting story, although I wished we learned more about her background. I loved hearing about their life together in Japan, since it showed Japan in a thoughtful, different, positive light, Japan was a bustling, happening place and it was one of the best places to be for Americans (besides America).

The title I Wanna be Your Shoebox comes from a poem of the same name by Catherine Bowman. It's an awesome poem, and I'm including it at the bottom of this review. I Wanna Be Your Shoebox is a wonderful read and I highly recommend it to all middle schoolers. Older teens may be a little more annoyed by the slow moving plot, however the quirky characters along with the big hearts displayed throughout the book, make this book endearing. 5th grade and up.

For those who celebrate Christmas, have a Merry Christmas (I will be reviewing Ash tomorrow, not sure when, but it's so beautiful I want to review it on Christmas!) :D For all those who don't celebrate Christmas, have a wonderful holiday season!!

lol thinking back, I can definitely see what you mean by slow moving plot. Hmm, but I don't remember feeling that aspect detracted from my enjoyment of the novel... I think the part that really stood out for me about this novel was just Yumi's character, and because I liked her, I was willing to go through the novel's journey with her without thinking about what happens later.

Join Us!

Tell the Publishing Industry that you're sick and tired of whitewashed covers and few diversity in books

Reading in Color Wishlist

See also my GoodReads to-read list, since I own almost none of the books on there. If you own any of these books and want to trade for them (or just give them away! hee hee) then please contact me! This list is in no particular order.

My Review Policy

I'm happy to review books that are sent to me when I can. Contact me if you want me to review your book willbprez (at) aol (dot) com

I prefer to review YA books about people of color. Occasionally, I will review a book with a white main character, but odds are, that I will decline.

However, I do NOT review blog novels or e-books. Sorry!

Furthermore, I will ALWAYS review books honestly so if you only want a positive review, that's not me. I blog with integrity.

Reading in Color Ratings & Explanations

5/5=<3 A.Must.Read. Preferably buy it, but if you can't or don't want to, go to the library! The book was amazing. 'Nuff said

4/5=Excellent. Great read. Strongly recommended to read.

3/5=Liked it. Good characters, plot, etc. Read it if you want to be entertained and aren't very nitpicky.

2/5=Decent. Hit or Miss. If you see it, read it, but don't go out of your way to look for it. Don't read if you only like really, really good books.

1/5=One or two ok things about this book. Disappointing. Hopefully the next one by the author will be better! I hope I never have to give a book this review :(

"IQ" stands for Incredible Quote. It's one of my favorite lines from the book. I pick one that really stands out, whether it's funny, inspirational or deep.

"Off-Color" a review of a book that does not have a poc in it. These will be rare and far in between. Uusally they will have a poc as a secondary character or be authored by a poc even if the mc isn't a poc.